Jin Hu or, as most people have come to know her, “Huhu Hu” is a bookbinder based in Quzhou, China. I have been watching her work continuously evolve and forming a distinct personality through the years, with impressive results. She has been self-taught to a great extent, something which I admire and speaks to me on a personal level, but also managed to learn a lot and improve next to renown binders. Last but not least her handcrafting extends beyond binding books into some quite interesting leather sculpting… For all the reasons mentioned above I believe she is definitely an artisan to keep an eye on and so invited her for a talk about her work, the experience she’s gained so far and her next steps.

Jin Hu started as a self taught bookbinder, practicing on her own for several years with Kaija Rantakari (Paperiaarre)helping her through the internet. During that time (2007-2013) she tried and practiced several techniques through online videos and articles as well as books on bookbinding. She learned various leather decoration techniques from Sol Rebora and then travelled abroad to attend seminars by Monique Lallier, Luigi Castiglioni, Susana Dominguez and Zigor Anguiano Calzada. From 2015 to 2017 she has also taken part in 5 exhibitions: -Nobel Museum Bookbinding Exhibition featuring the novel by MoYan. -5thWorld EBRU day -’Open.Set’–design binding exhibition by American Academy of Bookbinding -‘International Copetition Heroic Works 2017’—by DB UK -Xtra small Miniatuurboekjes in Museum Meermanno

Many aspiring bookbinders do not have the precious opportunity to attend courses and learn from established craftsmen and institutions. That is usually for two reasons: absence of skillful binders or craft-academies within travel distance or the very high cost of participating in seminars abroad. Thus, in many cases they have to learn the craft on their own, through trial and error. Things have changed for the better in that aspect, with the rise of the internet and the abundance of educational material available through it. Still, it is nowhere as efficient as the experience and knowledge provided first-hand by an experienced binder. You’ve been trying to learn bookbinding on your own for several years. Being self taught can be extremely demanding but at the same time very rewarding and offering a unique sense of accomplishment, hardly found elsewhere. I would ask you to tell us regarding your personal experience: Did you go about a certain way in learning bookbinding, or was it more random? Did you set specific goals and then set to complete them or did you follow some other course? Which where the best and which the worst parts of being self-taught?

At the very beginning self-learning was more of a random process. I would look into everything I could find: books, online tutorials , videos, and then I practiced a lot. Being a novice I knew little about the elements and functions of a binding’s structure. As I gained enough knowledge I managed to form a more complete understanding of what there is to learn. I made a detailed list writing down all the skills I needed to have or structures I wanted to master, f.e. such as bradel binding, clamshell box, marbling, byzantine binding, etc. I then made a schedule which I followed strictly.

The best part of self-learning is that I am able to understand the process more comprehensively, my approach is not restricted in some fashion and that allows me to invent new methods. To give you an example: I have learnt at least 4 ways to cover the corners and I am now using one that I created by myself, which is easy to do and produces a very fine result.

Jin Hu – earlier work

The worst part would be how painstaking it is as there is much more time spent in making mistakes. When it comes to the higher level of bookbinding, such as a full leather fine binding or French binding, one can never accomplish a really fine result simply by self-learning. That’s why I travelled abroad to learn from master binders.

Textures

Your bindings are full of personality and already exhibit a distinct identity, something which many artists and artisans (myself included) strive to accomplish for a long time – if ever. Is this a result of conscious effort? How do you approach the creation of a design binding? Do you as an artisan rely on good planning and preparation or is your creative process guided more by instinct and chance?

Thank you so much for your encouragement! Although I believe I still need practice to improve my bindings, as I am not satisfied with all of them. I am very conscious regarding my approach and efforts when it comes to design bindings. For my early bindings I didn’t really make very detailed designs, sometimes I just drew a simple sketch. Back then I would refer to the process as ”randomness under certain control”. Recently however, I started to improve my design process: I do a very thorough planning before starting the binding, such as making sample boards or drawing the covers, editing the color combinations with a pc. This can take many hours up to days or even months.

Minimalism, harmony, and inventive use of colors and textures – these are often present in your work, gracefully representing the Asian Culture’s core aesthetics.Given the very long history of Chinese art and its distinct style how would you describe your culture’s influence on your work? Has it affected you and if so which of its elements appeal to you the most? Is their presence on your bindings on purpose -an homage to your culture- or is it more of a subconscious source of inspiration?

I think that Chinese culture did not play a significant role in my bindings up till now. I designed the books according to some basic guidelines of graphic design. However I came to realize that the it has affected me in a more subconscious way. I recently read a book series on Chinese Painting wrote by James Cahill, which totally changed my mind about Chinese art. Before reading these books I thought Chinese painting is similar with Ukiyoe art from Japan. Instead Chinese painting is a very abstract art, but one needs to learn its “language” to admire the paintings, otherwise you can only see mountains, hills ,rivers and rocks repeating themselves, you won’t be able to feel the emotions within the lines. That is one reason why Chinese painting is not as popular as Japanese painting, which is less abstract and more decorative. I realized this is an asset for me as a Chinese, so I am now making some trials in combining features found in Chinese painting with design binding.

China is a world on its own and so we don’t often get the chance to talk with a bookbinder situated there… Can you please tell us a few things regarding the Chinese bookbinding scene:What is the bookbinding community there like?

There isn’t currently a bookbinding community in China, most Chinese people view bookbinding as “book cover graphic design” or similar to industrial made books…

What kind of work do the professionals focus on?The bookbinders mainly focusing on Chinese thread binding.

Is the public familiar with bookbinding as a craft/art?Not really, but people are slowly getting more and more familiar with western-style bindings. They can appreciate bookbinding as a craft but not art.

What kind of opportunities are there for someone interested in becoming a bookbinder?

There are some craft schools which teach Chinese style binding, but if someone wants to be a well rounded bookbinder he/she has to go abroad as I did. In recent years there are few studios which provide simple western binding courses but not in a very professional way – at least in my opinion. So I believe workshops for bookbinding or stores selling bookbinding materials and tools will be popular in China in the near future.

Who would you say are your main customers? Have you followed some particular course to acquire your clientele or has is simply grown over time?

My main customers are book collectors of western-style bindings. Since they have some knowledge on bookbinding they are willing to order from me. Many people also find me through articles I write at an online column, where I try to introduce the aspects of bookbinding to the public.

Apart from bookbinding you make some amazing leather sculptures, for example scarabs and that extremely cute Minotaur. I must admit I’d hardly ever notice the black scarab isn’t real just by looking at the photo you’ve sent me – it’s so lifelike! Has this been an old fascination or is it something you’ve discovered recently?I know that some artists make bugs out of metal but I haven’t seen anyone making leather beetles so far, so it is basically an invention of my own. Each part of the bug is build separately and then put together. I’ve spent a great amount of time developing it and I still need to make many more leather bugs to improve the whole process.

What is the story behind the Minotaur?

The Minotaur is a collaboration with my husband and it is also a test product for our new leather sculpture brand named “HG Art”. While the leather bugs are made with thin vegetable-tanned leather which can be shaped easily the Minotaur was build with thick and hard leather which required very accurate shaping, just like when making clothes but in a more complicated way. We also designed the Minotaur with movable hands and legs.

And finally, what other ideas do you have in store when it comes to this kind of leathercrafting?

Apart from leather bugs we are now in the process of making an owl and a whale. We plan to design more sculptures this year, not only animals but imaginary species as well – such as those found in ancient Chinese fairy tales.

Last but not least, would you like to share your future goals, both short and long term, regarding bookbinding?

In short term, I plan to finish some fine bindings in 2018, which involve trying new design styles and new methods of decoration. In long term, I wish I could exhibit more of my bindings internationally. Also, to make books which are more like art pieces and not just craft work. I am also planning to develop more methods on leather decoration and dyeing and, hopefully, teach these in workshops around the world.

You can see more of Jin Hu’s work at herFB page.If you enjoyed this interview there are more you can read at my blog sectionTechniton Politeia.

It’s been a little over a year since the bindery has moved to a new location. Many things have changed, but most of all the capability to invite more people to my working space. You see, for the past 9 years or so the bindery has been located within a ghetto, in possibly the most decayed urban area of Athens. I actually also grew up there, and I love it, but it was quite difficult working in such a place. And bookbinding is already somewhat “hermetic” as a trade by nature…

The new space has enabled me to openly invite people and also give seminars to more than one person at a time. On the same note I had the wonderful opportunity to work withKaterina Momitsaand hold a seminar on Ebru-Marbling, which proved to be a great success!

Holding these seminars has also been quite challenging. As participants we usually just go to a place and have a good time but there is a lot of preparation and organizing to be done in advance, which can overall amount to many days and often weeks for the few hours the seminar lasts.
It is all worth it though when you see people smilling and being excited while learning something new and hand-crafting!

As 2017 is nearing its end I would like to thank Katerina and all those who attended the seminars for the wonderful and creative evenings at my bindery. Hopefully the future will bring even more chances to share what I do and love and also more such collaborations!Wishing everyone merry christmas and a happy new year!

Have I mentioned how much I like Art-Deco? It’s really hard to define what Art-Deco is: the aesthetic which emerged from it had a very distinct personality, yet its origins and influences were numerous and quite different from one-another. As with most things, the bindings produced during its heyday were astounding pieces of craftsmanship and aesthetic.

So, it goes without saying I was quite excited when asked to create a sketchbook with an Art-Deco inspired decoration as a gift for an artist. There were also a number of restrictions/guidelines I had to take into consideration: the client’s budget, the time limit (it was to be a Christmas gift) and of course the sketchbook’s requirements regarding size, type of paper and desired function.

After discussing with the client I proposed a combination of longstich and a hardback cover. That way the owner would have a sketchbook that can bend in a 360 arc and can lay completely flat when open, much like a regular sketchbook while also being quite durable, and that could be completed within the given deadline.

The paper used, a 100% cotton paper from Hahnemuhle, is simply amazing. Velvety and strong with great texture. I saw a large map printed on it and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Another request was to avoid intense/bright colors. I chose a fine Italian leather of vivid dark red color (wine anyone?) as it works well with gold and underlines the splendour Art-Deco is characterised for.

There are many ways to create onlays – mine is a combination of things I’ve read/photos I’ve seen from other binders and trial&error, as I was never taught the technique.

(Here’s a close up, warts and all…!)

Now, there was the design… I am in no way an artist or a designer of any sort and I’m totally useless in drawing. I’m never short of ideas but I usually struggle when having to create a template for the reasons mentioned above. For what is more I consider Art-Deco hallowed ground: I know I cannot compete with the exquisite talents who created the designs for the era’s bindings, yet I had to do the style some justice.Taking into consideration the client’s requests I came up with two designs and went for the “safest” choice, the one I felt the most likely to look sound and pleasing. The result is what you see before you today.

Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Samuel Feinstein.You can readPart 1 here.

Which would you say are the projects/bindings that have intrigued you the most and why? This applies to commissions you’ve received but can also be extended to the work of other fellow binders that caught your interest.

I’ll share two of my favorite commissioned pieces and a quick binding that I did on the side: Into This World, a poem by Natalie Goldberg, illustrated by Clare Dunne and printed by Sialia Rieke, is a binding that was able to be somewhat emotional. I wanted to capture the femininity of the poem & illustrations in the design, as well as the strength of spirit necessary it takes to become one with the world, dying with grace: “let us die/ gracefully/ into this world”. I also wanted to convey the sovereignty of nature over our lives, and that it will be here when we are gone, beautiful as ever. The waxing and waning moon is at once an expression of nature itself interacting (drawing the waves up) within the world, a physical representation of the constant change in the world, as well as a metaphor for the progression of the human life. It is also meant to strike a chord with the overall tone of femininity. The death explored in this poem is not about the pain that often comes before death, but rather a celebration of the transformation of the body and the spirit in its continuation of being a part of this world, in a different form: “…let us […] not hold on/not even to the/ moon/ tipped as it will/ be tonight/ and beckoning/ wildly in the sea”.

My binding on Paul Needham’s “Twelve Centuries of Bookbindings” was a fun and somewhat technical binding because it allowed me to make a statement about the history of bookbinding. Often the history of bookbinding is more correctly the history of book decoration and -even more correctly- it is most often the history of gold-tooled bookbindings. The time period covered in those twelve centuries was 400-1600, so there’s not too much time in there for gold tooled bindings, however, they constituted more plates than blind tooled bindings. So with the binding I let the gold do what it normally does—draw attention away from blind tooling in a very stark way. I don’t really have any opportunity to address politics in my work. With the kind of work that I do, it just doesn’t come up. And with the political realm being as divisive as it is, I imagine it could put people off. I’ll do my best to make this paragraph as non-controversial as I can. I chose to do a binding on a book written by Bernie Sanders. He’s not a new politician, and none of the policies that he supports and is pushing for are new ideas. This book follows his campaign trail and puts forth the ideals he ran on: income equality, health care for all, higher education as a human right, racial justice, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, immigration reform, getting money out of politics, truth, love, compassion, and solidarity, among many others–and their implementation. All of these are pressing issues in society and need to be addressed in a moral manner, not limiting the rights of people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (the stated goal of the country I live in). I chose to do a utilitarian binding on this: no gold, nothing flashy, a simple arts-and-crafts design tooled in blind, with an off-cut piece of leather, done quickly but with elegance. The endpapers are plain, they don’t need to be fancy. “A Future to Believe In” was Bernie’s campaign message, and “The Struggle Continues” is the progressive answer to any election, any vote, or any compromise, win or lose–the struggle continues.

There are a number of bookbinders, current and past, who I look up to, but none moreso than the Spanish bookbinder Emilio Brugalla. His work ranges from historical to contemporary, always tooled magnificently and the ability to work in any style fairly seamlessly reflects what I attempt to do in my work. He said, “El corazón del libro nunca deja de latir.” I’m not a spiritual person by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something living and beautiful within a book that the right binding can be resonate with that causes an intangible sense of wonder, and truly the heart of the book never stops beating.

Your bindings are excellently tooled, a fact I’ve seen mentioned within the bookbinding community. You also offer finishing services and teach courses on tooling and gold-finishing. Given your focus on the specific aspect of the craft, what would you consider the hardest part in mastering tooling and why?

The only claim I make is that I am a competent finisher. Because I am not a master, my speculation is that the hardest part in mastering finishing is achieving a level of mastery with all styles of finishing and sustain that for quite some time. This also includes 1. Having the range of tools and type needed for this, and, more difficult, 2. Having the work coming through your shop to sustain your finishing practice week by week. Since I spend a decent amount of time forwarding, that’s time away from the finishing stove, and teaching, while still finishing, is more instruction than actual finishing. I hope one day to become a master, but it’ll take a lot more time.

For those starting out, finishing is not an easily won skill. It is among the most difficult aspects of creating a fine binding. Instruction is one aspect of learning finishing, the other is understanding how each impression needs to feel to be successful — that second part I am either not skilled enough with words to describe, or it is a conversation that needs to happen between the leather and the tool in your hand, incapable of being expressed by words. You will make mistakes. You will “waste” gold, or, more correctly, it will take more gold than you feel comfortable using to develop your hand skills. You will likely ruin a binding or two so that you have to re-do it, even if you have been fastidiously practicing on plaquettes. These are all part of the learning process and should not be interpreted as failures, but as necessary steps to being able to tool a binding well.

Is there a specific philosophy behind the way you run your bookbinding classes? How do you approach tool-finishing as a teaching subject?

I take a very systematic approach to teaching finishing. Make sure that you align yourself squarely to the edge of your bench. Make sure you tool your lines perpendicular to your bench’s edge, and rotate the book you are tooling on rather than pivoting your body. Heat the tool, cool it, polish it, tool. These are a few of the things that I repeat over and over during the course of my workshops. My intro classes start with straight lines. I’ll demonstrate the process, have the students try their hand at is, and then demonstrate again, have the students practice, and demonstrate again so that the students can see the process again and focus on a new aspect of the process or notice something that they were doing wrong. It’s rigorous and intense.

The workshops that I teach are often five-day workshops, though I’ll teach two-day workshops as well. We use high quality materials, as these give the best results with unpracticed hands, and it’s easier to know what the issues are when the materials are reliable. Within every class there is a range of previous finishing experience, and not everyone learns at the same rate, so I address this by giving each student as much one-on-one time as I can. This allows those with more experience to move forward and be challenged and those with no experience learn enough to go off on their own. As I mention above, finishing is among the most difficult aspects of fine bookbinding and, for me, the more people that are doing it, and doing it well, the better.I’m in the process of making the first of what I hope will be a number of instructional videos on finishing, since access to that kind of information is somewhat limited. The first will be the core of what my five-day class is, blind tooling and gold tooling with synthetic glaire and gold leaf. If that goes well, I will move on to cover some of the other aspects of finishing that could benefit from instruction: titling, tooling with egg-glaire, tooled-edge onlays, to name a few.

As artisans we have to deal with misconceptions about our craft on a regular basis. People for example are often used to seeing intricate decorations on bindings, most notably in films and series, which makes it difficult to explain the level of skill and experience required to produce such a result. What can you tell us on the subject of misinformation regarding bookbinding? How -if at all- has it affected you so far and what can a craftsman do to tackle it effectively?

As bookbinders, one of our most important roles is to teach others about bookbinding, whether they be clients, prospective clients, someone you happen to bump into and start a conversation with. In the past, one way to address this was to print out a list of each and every step to let people know what the steps were and how many of them there are (I’m referring to the “The bookbinders case unfolded” broadside that lists all of the steps in bookbinding, dated between 1669 and 1695). I’ve had instances where the desired date of completion was ten days or so, and that answer is always, “It would be especially rare that you would find any hand bookbinder with that short of a promised turn around. Most binders you will find will have projects they are already working on, and a more realistic baseline for turnaround starts around six weeks to three months.” Now, that’s not true across the board, depending on work flow, the speed that a binder works at, or if it’s a job you can slip in between other jobs. It’s always best to over budget time and get a binding to someone earlier than you estimated than to miss a deadline. People will always have misconceptions about things they’re ignorant of, just like in every other facet of life. If they simply do not know that a fine binding will take a few months at the earliest, it is good to let them know how long a binding takes, keeping in mind the projects that need to be completed before starting a new one. There’s no positive result from being elitist, condescending, or dismissive, regardless of how much time goes into building up our hand skills. An authentic and genuine conversation, along with showing examples of work, goes a long way.

Last but not least: can you share a small piece of bookbinding wisdom that you’ve unlocked through personal experience? The bit of wisdom I’ll share here is a branch off of something that I heard often as a student: do the kind of work that you want to do. If you take in a bible repair project, then people will know you do that as part of your work. This applies to everything: repair, restoration, conservation, editions, fine bindings, design bindings, and so on. What I have learned is this: If someone doesn’t know that you exist, they cannot commission a binding from you. It’s a simple enough thought, but for me it has been the thing that keeps work coming to my bench. As a previously very shy person, it was a small hurdle to overcome, but it’s part of the process of being a bookbinder. Put in the hours you need to produce salable work and then make sure the people who seek out that work know you and your work.

Samuel Feinstein is a private practice bookbinder specializing in fine bindings, gold finishing, rounded spine clamshell boxes, and new bindings in period style. He trained at the North Bennet Street School in Boston under Jeff Altepeter and Martha Kearsley, graduating in 2012. He lives and works in Chicago, and his work can be seen at:http://www.samuelfeinsteinbookbinding.com/

According to our guest:” What most appeals to me is the work itself. It keeps my hands and mind focused and draws me in, day after day. It takes me through the history and imaginations of what I work on, and allows me to express myself through my hands. As a binder, my intention is to create bindings that are pleasing to the senses and the mind, and it is the challenge of it that inspired me. As an instructor, I do what I can to further the practice of hand-tooling, especially using gold leaf, which is applied to both historical and contemporary works.“

Samuel’s portfolio boasts an impressive array of design and period bindings – diversity is key word. With a style balancing gracefully between modern and classic I doubt anyone will not find a binding from Samuel’s work that speaks to them.

I would like to deeply thank Samuel for taking the time and effort to give me this interview.Every artisan has an origin story, some more unique and unexpected than others. Yours is such a story – one I believe many people would also consider quite motivational. Would you kindly share with us a few words about it? Also, why was bookbinding your choice?

It’s a long story so I’ll try to keep it short. At the time of this writing it has been nearly ten years since I was involved in an accident while riding my bike on the way to class. I was studying Classics (ancient Greek and Latin) and English literature. I was bruised here and there, my right wrist was broken from the impact of the van, and I suffered a brain injury from hitting the pavement. The head injury keeps me in constant pain to this day. “Chronic, intractable, post-traumatic headaches with migrainous features” is the diagnosis I was given. For a little while I attempted to keep up with the work in my classes and some passions on the side, but ultimately the kind of cognition that I was trying to retain ended up just causing more pain. I’ve always been the kind of person who needs to be productive, and not being able to do what I was used to led me to a very low point. I had enjoyed visual arts since I was a kid, had done creative writing in my later teens, and was always interested in books as a vessel for information. Books and art were an integral influence on the kind of mind I developed, so I was searching for what I could possibly do with my life and interests. I stumbled across the North Bennet Street School’s website, saw that they had a program in bookbinding, and everything just clicked. I could still work with books, but using my hands instead of my head. Nothing else I came across spoke to me, and bookbinding became the one thing that I could really focus on, often times literally. I began teaching myself, and unsurprisingly, the results were rough at best. The first time I applied to the North Bennet Street School I was not accepted, so the next year was spent, in my good hours, making successively improving bindings, and researching the history of bookbinding through the collection at the Newberry Library in Chicago. The following year I was accepted and by then I knew that fine bindings were something that I would focus on in my free time at school. One thing the accident gave me which I would not have otherwise gotten was less productive hours in my day, which taught me to focus my time on learning the specialized aspect of bookbinding that most interested me, and I spent as much time as I could in my days learning that, not allowing myself to get distracted. I still have the headaches every second of every day (though you wouldn’t know it if you met me, I’m a rather cheery person), and it’s unlikely they’ll ever go away, but you do the best you can with what you have.

People, both from Greece (where I live) and abroad, ask me from time to time how to begin bookbinding, if there is a place where they can learn the craft. Being able to attend courses at an established institution offering structured programs and thoroughly equipped workshops, under the guidance of experienced craftsmen, is significant: it allows one to explore and develop his/her skills and build a strong foundation upon which to further progress. Although there isn’t a bookbinding academy here anymore, the one that existed has been closed for many years, teaching institutions devoted entirely or partially to bookbinding can be found in many countries around the world. The North Bennet Street School, where you attended a two-year program, is one such institution. What can you tell us about NBSS? What are your memories from training at a well known center for handcrafts and what would you consider the most important stepping stone it provided?

A traditional trade apprenticeship is seven years. The North Bennet program is two years. Granted, the first year or so of an apprenticeship could consist of sweeping up after everyone else, but my point is that you do not have enough time to learn everything that interests you, and you also need to focus on what you believe to be the best path to employment after you graduate, bearing in mind that certain kinds of work will likely be unsalable because you haven’t had the time to achieve continuity of skill. However, unless you are able to secure an apprenticeship, it’s likely that programs like the North Bennet Street School as straightforward as it gets with foundational bookbinding education. As far as I know, the US does not have any bookbinding programs like the North Bennet Street School. There are book arts programs that cover many aspect of bookmaking; there are book arts centers, schools, and institutions where workshops bookbinding are offered, as well as private lessons with established binders, but none of these are multiple year programs, bench-oriented, and focused on craft the way North Bennet is. You start off learning paper grain and folding sections, and you end up having made a great number of structures, variations on those structures, many kinds of repair and conservation techniques and treatments, fine bindings, historical structures, and develop a broad range of traditional bookbinding skills which can be applied in whichever way you decide to utilize your hand skills. Graduates from the school have found work in conservation labs as technicians and conservators, in private practice doing repair and conservation work, fine bookbinding, edition work, make artist books, and some teach in addition to doing these. I attended the program from 2010 to 2012. Some of my most nostalgic memories are the moments where the room, noises, and people all drift away and I’m left there with the only things in existence: me, my tool, and the book that I’m tooling. It was a rather often occurrence. As a stepping stone, here in the US, the North Bennet Street School has a reputation for training highly skilled bookbinders, and I used that as much as I possibly could, networking within the bookbinding field, getting to know as many people as I could. I spent a fair amount of time in the school’s library poring through exhibition catalogs, articles, and so on so that when I was introduced to someone new, there was a fairly good chance that I had heard of them before. I would go to as many events as possible, doing as much as I could to become familiar with people who might eventually become clients. As well, North Bennet offers a small business class for students in the final year of their program. This was extremely beneficial for me, since I began my private practice after graduating, and it’s very important to have a good idea of the business side of things when you want to make bookbinding your career.

Short courses and seminars is another way to gain new skills or hone existing ones.You’ve attended many seminars offered by distinguished bookbinders and craftspeople. Can you note a few things from those seminars that made a significant contribution to your progress as an artisan?

For me, most of the short courses or seminars that I have taken that directly correlate with the work that I do now were taken after having some experience doing them, which I either taught myself or learned during my time at NBSS. By the time I took a class with Monique Lallier, I was already familiar with all of the steps of doing a fine binding, so I was able to note how her process was different than others I had seen or done, and I was able to focus on the two things I most needed help with then: headcaps and corners, and wanted to learn edge-to-edge doublures. Even though I only took one class with her, I still think about the way she looks at a binding when she is examining it, and do my less experienced version of it when I am examining my own bindings. While at NBSS, we learned knife making and sharpening from Jeff Peachey, who comes by to teach each year. The discipline he teaches in keeping your tools in proper shape is something I implement and will always be grateful for. There’s nothing like a well maintained tool to do just exactly what you need it to, and learning the significance of this helps instill a discipline and practice that carries on into every aspect of bookbinding.

On to your work – your bindings are frequently a harmonious blend between classic and modern elements. Binders often try such a combination but a balanced result is difficult to attain. Where do you draw inspiration for your designs and how do you proceed with creating them?

With my fine bindings, I draw from within the book. I see a book’s binding as a part of the book as a whole: the author, illustrator, illustrator, printer, paper-maker, time period, place of publication (for older books) and so on have already made an impact on the book, so my goal is to make a binding that is harmonious with the rest; something that emulates some of the ideas, feelings, imagery, etc. of what is in the book. Instead of making an artistic statement with my designs, I prefer to speak through craft. It’s not controversial to say that the history of bookbinding flows through my veins as I design. That history has made its impact on each and every book created, even if the book is a revolt against the history of the book. As such my designs tend to be more representational—I am less interested in making an artistic statement and more interested in creating something that will be aesthetically pleasing.

With just a few exceptions, I always have the design completely finished before beginning any work. I take my time with each project in the design phase. I’ll read the book, take in the illustrations, jot down some thoughts, scribble out some design ideas, and so on while working on other books. My design phase tends to take a while, but after that is done, the binding work itself is mere execution. I’ll still evaluate the binding at each stage, making sure the physical object works as well as the idea in my head, but it’s rare for me to change course once after I begin. Then I’ll make a clamshell box for it, make sure I’ve got a write up of technical aspects as well as design, and ship it off to the client. I don’t think there is anything unique about my process.

Producing high quality bindings includes numerous stages and a lot of planning ahead. What part of the process would you consider most important and why?

It’s hard to pinpoint one as the most important, since each step for me is woven together. The obvious option is the design. As I said above, the design is complete before I start any work at all. This means I’ve already spent a while with the book, gave ideas time to gestate, and have a good idea of what direction to go with the book.

The budget does play a role in a binding’s design. Working within the construct (not limitations) of the budget for each project, the different ways of interpreting a book, or expressing an idea are explored to create a unique binding that does for you what you want it to and does for the client what they want it to. At this point, I make up boards and plan out everything: leather choice, endpapers, leather hinge or paper pastedown, edge decoration, sewing structure, headbands, secondary board attachment if needed, decorative techniques, what finishing tools will be needed, etc. Once the binding is started I’ll evaluate it at each stage of forwarding, and will carry the binding to completion.

(Note by the interviewer – Please observe the outline in the photo above. Every number indicates a detail that has to be tooled individually with a separate tool. The overall result requires many hundreds of actions that require extreme precision – and all for a very small area of the binding…)

(Note – the middle lines of the eye appear misaligned due to the spine’s curvature and the angle at which the picture was taken. See side photo for reference)

The idea for this binding came from a leftover piece of marbled paper laying on the bindery shelves. It felt just right for 1984 due to its color palette and rippled pattern but there was only enough for the 2 endpapers and a bit to spare. The off-cut was arranged in such a way that I could only afford several thin strips beyond the endpapers and that’s when the design popped to mind: vertical lines (hinting at prison bars) along with the Big Brother’s eye. Forming it with their ends, prompting it but simultaneously emanating from it. A -rather simple- visual take on how control, power and oppression are intertwined.

This was also an attempt at producing a design binding using a rather classic decorative element, such as marbled paper, in a way that is experimental. Although marbled paper is always appreciated within the bookbinding community we rarely get to see it beyond the traditional confines of endpapers and quarter covers. My use of it is not exactly “daring”, it stems however from a desire to explore new ways of incorporating it in my work and see others try such an approach as well. The marbled diamond pattern was another earlier attempt towards the same creative diretion.

Last but not least, I used my “round title” style for the second time after 5 years to form the iris. Been waiting a looong time for the right binding!

I have a fondness for irregular titles, they can be an important part of any design and add so much character. However there’s also another reason I’m very keen on tooling them this way: I simply suck at tooling straight, orderly titles! It’s not that I can’t do it, hopefully many of my bindings provide proof to the contrary, it’s that I find it quite stressing and difficult. Of course irregular titles aren’t the perfect answer either: even careful measuring, placing the tracing paper as if handling Nasa equipment and tooling whilst holding my breath won’t stop a pesky letter or two coming off with a slight tilt. So vexing!

This binding is available for 250 euros.You can acquire it by: sending me an email at koutsipetsidis@gmail.com, leaving a comment here or – if you prefer- through my Etsy shop.

Welcome to a series of posts devoted to bindings I consider inspiring, on the basis of technical excellence, originality of design and overall style.

Please keep in mind that the selection of binders represents only personal taste, it is in no way a criticism towards other bookbinders. Furthermore the order by which they are presented is random. Last but not least, the bindings included in the post aren’t necessarily my personal favorites from those binders but simply works I consider representative of their creators.

Hope that you’ll enjoy these wonderful bindings as much as I do and feel encouraged to learn more about the selected artisans.Feel free to share your thoughts and favorites as well!

Mirbeau byAnne GiordanAnne graduated from Ecole Superieure des Arts Decoratifs and is a member of APPAR (Association pour la promotion de l’Art de la Reliure) and ARA France. She has taken part in numerous exhibitions, both group and solo. Her bindery is located in Strasbourg. Her bindings are marvelous but -my, OH my- have you seen her atelier as well?

Paradise lost byKate HollandKate is a multi-award winning bookbinder, specialising in contemporary fine bindings to commission or for exhibition.

The Thread byMonique LallierMonique is an internationally recognised book binder and book artist. Her work can be found in many public and private collections.

The Silk Road byAndrew BrownAndrew Brown has studied under Paul C Delrue and his work has been exhibited in various museums and other public venues. He has won many awards in the Annual National Bookbinding Competition (UK) and his work can be found in private collections in the UK and USA.

Alice in Wonderland by Michael WilcoxCalling M. Wilcox a master binder would be an understatement.“Wilcox, however, does not regard himself as an artist but rather as a bookbinder and a craftsman” (found here) I couldn’t agree more – I always say that bookbinding is first and foremost a craft: a fine binding can be very simple and devoid of any decoration, yet its making may require exceptional skills. Our task is to preserve the context of the book. Making it pleasing to the eye and touch comes second, although Wilcox excels in both.

The Dreamtime byJana PullmanJana Pullman is a renown binder who is also widely known as a bookbinding instructor. She teaches at the Minessota Center for Book Arts and at various other venues and often travels to give seminars.

La Mort De Venise by Paul BonetLittle needs to be said about Paul Bonet, one of the most celebrated artisans this craft has ever known. Bonet’s designs defined bookbinding, mostly through the ingenious use of curves and lines to create optical illusions, the sense of a 3rd dimension on the cover.The man was a wizard – seriously, look him up.

Omar Khayyam’s “Rubaiyat” by Sangorski and SutcliffeThese two, founders of the famousShepherds bindery, together created some of the most spectacular bindings ever made. Apart from extensive and immaculate gold tooling, many of their bindings featured a plethora of precious and semi-precious jewels.

Revenge byMidori Kuikata – CockramMidori opened Jade bookbinding studio in 1997. Her work is characterised by a distinct style centered around elegant designs. She has given workshops, lectures and exhibitions in the UK, USA, Europe and and Japan. She is a Fellow of Designers Bookbinders (UK), a member of the Society of Bookbindinders (UK) and Tokyo Bookbinding Club (Japan).

The Siege of Krishnapur byDerek HoodDerek Hood has a reputation of as one of Britain’s leading design-based fine bookbinders. He has exhibited in numerous public venues and his books are held in public and private collections throughout the world.

The Revelation of John the divine by Samuel FeinsteinSamuel graduated from North Bennet Street School after a two year program and has been to date a member of the Guild of Bookworkers, the Society of Gilders and the Caxton Club. His work features traditional and modern bindings, both showcasing great skill and attention to detail. He often travels to give seminars.

The alphabet is one of humanity’s greatest inventions – the idea that a sequence of squiggles can convey a thought in a way easily and instantly apprehensible by everyone. Form those squiggles on the sand and they will last more than the brief sound of our voices. Carve them onto stone and they will outlast entire civilizations.

Detail from Island of the Fay – a binding by Juan A Fernandez Argenta

This marvel of ingenuity can be found, in one form or another, within most civilizations. A great variety of alphabets has been used from ancient times until today, their function and form a synopsis of the culture that created them. Immensely useful, infinitely versatile and long lasting, it is perhaps the ultimate tool of the human race. So, it’s no wonder that at some point its users so past its practical values and realized there is a beauty to be found here. I’m referring to Calligraphy, which views letters as an art medium. And then there are alphabets, the Arabic and Chinese to name two of the most widespread, the very nature of which gives emphasis on the visual aspect of the written word. In such cases writing is more similar to drawing and it has often been considered a form of meditation.

With all these in mind I consider the use of an alphabet decoratively, either as an element or the very basis of the decoration, a great choice – if applied skillfully. You really can’t go wrong with something that carries so much meaning and offers endless possibilities artisticaly. Alphabets incorporated in a design always captivated me and combining them with the art & craft of bookbinding can be ideal: letters are -usually- the heart of a book, its quintessence found inside it. Bringing them out on the cover in a way that recognizes and displays their beauty seems like an interesting full circle.

Here are a few examples of this combination.

The Four Gospels – bound by Deborah Evetts.Utilizing only letters this binding achieves its narrative purpose to the fullest through their stark contrast in color and size. Robust, austere and awe-inspiring, all in perfect accord with the book’s content.

Bound by Paul Bonet.Little needs to be said about Paul Bonet, one of the most celebrated artisans this craft has known. Bonet’s designs defined bookbinding, mostly through the ingenious use of curves and lines to create optical illusions, the sense of a 3rd dimension on the cover. The bindings featured here may not be examples of his trademark style but a testament nevertheless to great skill and the ability to create striking designs using letters as the decoration’s main element.

The Somme – bound by Pamela RichmondThe letters, small, numerous and insignificant -as are the dead viewed through the war’s impersonal prism- parade across the cover. Few by few however they compose names, and names are anything but insignificant – they speak of a person, his world and his story… I believe Pamela Richmond has thus managed through her design to paint an excellent depiction of the brutality of WWI and at the same time honor the individuals who died by the thousands – and yet are far more than “a mere statistic”, as Stalin once said.(A big thank you to the people who helped me identify the binder behind this wonderful binding! It has been one of my personal favorites since I got into this craft)

Shakespeare – bound by Juan A. Fernandez Argenta

To my great joy, Argenta’s designs focus largely on the decorative use of letters. Structurally inventive and endlessly creative, this bookbinder from Spain seems to me like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, only instead of children he lures letters: they dance playfully on his covers or arrange themselves in robust lines and structures, adopting colors and shapes in a way that looks effortless and natural – as if they were always so.You can see more of his work here.

Lastly I would like to humbly (after the work of such skilled and renowned binders) add one of my bindings to this list: Cicero’s Orations. The great orator from Rome molded and transformed the latin language, which had profound effects on the Roman civilization and, in some ways, the entire human culture. What you see on the cover is not simply text but the human thought caught during a turning point in its history. The absence of pause between words, punctuation marks and the use of capitals resemble how latin were written or inscribed on a surface. The text’s irregular shape hints at an inscription carved on stone. You can read moreabout the binding’s creation here.

It’s been a long trip in the company of the famous orator from ancient Rome and I’m happy to finally present you the bindings of Cicero. Are you ready for an extensive reading (you can skip the later half of the post which is more technical)?

I have an affinity for the history and culture of Rome. There’s something special about this city which became the crucible that -perhaps more than any other- paved the way (see what I did?) for our modern civilization. It is the amalgam of mankind’s greatest aspirations and worst inclinations, and the continuous clash of the two elements drove each other to extremes until Rome was torn apart many times. It is amidst the chaos of this clash that Cicero can be found.

At this point allow me to make a recommendation, not related to bookbinding. If you want to get to know about Rome in a way that is both entertaining and accurate watch HBO’s Rome, a two season 2005-2007 series. The series gives the most historically accurate represantation that I know of the era and all that defined it and it is evident that the producers went to great lengths in order to create a full and vivid image of Rome, from its streets to its people, their beliefs and mentality, from the power struggles and glory to everyday life’s small details. Apart from those it is a well-knit and interesting story blending excellently fictional characters which have depth with historical figures and events, with good directing and casting and overall great production value. Try it and you won’t be dissapointed.

Back to bookbinding though. When my client got in touch I was very interested to hear that I wasn’t just going to be binding Cicero buta Folio editionas well. I have talked in a previous postabout Folio Society and their wonderful editions. These books would be a joy to bind and I loved the topic as well.

Marcus Tulius Cicero is one of the most important figures of ancient Rome and his intellectual magnitude defined literature not only during his time but in a vast way until today as well. He was a philosopher, politician, lawyer, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist (check theWikipedia article). His most influential attribute though was his excellence in the use of words. Cicero was one of Rome’s greatest orators, and widely considered among the best throughout human history in general, and his prose and speeches transformed Latin. According to Wikipedia; “he is credited with transforming Latin from a modest utilitarian language into a versatile literary medium capable of expressing abstract and complicated thoughts with clarity”. Quntilian declared that Cicero was “not the name of a man, but of eloquence itself” and Michael Grant said ” the influence of Cicero upon the history of European literature and ideas greatly exceeds that of any other prose writer in any other language“.

He also lived during a most turbulent time; the republic had succesfully expanded a great deal and was about to enter a troubled period that would transform it into an empire. Civil strife, conspiracies and power struggles along with the growth of Rome’s influence defined Cicero and in return he played a key role in the turning points of the city’s history and Rome itself.

We discussed a lot with the client on the details of the binding and what its visual result should convey. However almost from the get go there was a certain idea in my mind; that of a golden river traversing the binding. This came to be the cornerstone of the whole design.

My thoughts behind this element were the following.
Cicero and the events and identity of Rome are intertwined. The design should emit a sense of splendor, novelty, but also of distortion and transformation. The river symbolizes the gradual transformation of the Roman republic (wide beginning at the back cover) to civil strife and power accumulation by ambitious individuals which led to the decline of the Senate (narrower part of the spine), eventually leading to an empire with a single dictator (narrow part at the front cover). At the same time it represents the “flow of words”, the growth and enrichment of the Latin language which is a core aspect of Rome and Cicero’s personality, leading to a finesse peak – a pinnacle of form and meaning. Combined with this visual element Cicero’s name on the spine adopts a narrative role – it shows us that he was pivotal in all that transpired.

The cover however would feel empty with just that. There was need to fill the rest of the binding in a way that displays its content but at the same time remains discreet. The golden river in the middle zone dominates the design, I couldn’t have something as intense – rather the opposite, so in order to celebrate Cicero I decide to blind tool parts of his orations in Latin. The text is in capitals and you can also notice the absence of punctuation – that is how Latin texts were written or inscribed on surfaces. I took exerpts from his speech “Against Catilina”, one of his most famous orations. You can locate the renown phrase “O tempora, o mores” (“what times do we live in?”) in the text.

The final result was two full leather fine bindings gilt in 22 Carat gold leaf, bound in Maroon Valencia goatskin. They feature leather joints, handmarbled paper, handstitched endbands (french, double core, 3 color) from silk thread, blind stamped decoration and gilt leather onlays. I also made two bookbinding cases with velvet interior and covered in cloth.

From here on it gets a bit technical folks. Carry on reading if you’re a bookbinding enthusiast or wish to get a glimpse of how such a binding is made!

There were many things that had to be factored in realizing the design, which proved quite challenging and time consuming. After the book was covered the metal dies for the latin text had to be made. I didn’t trust a hot-stamping machine to make the impression since if something went wrong (for example misalignment) the binding would be ruined. I opted for wet-stamping which is a traditional method of leather forming and would allow more control over the process. The dies would be pressed with a gradual increase in pressure over the leather which would have been moistened right before.

Making the dies to align was one of the major problems I had to tackle, both when designing them and during the pressing as well, so I had to come up with various solutions. They were very large to leave a uniform and equally deep impression so they were pressed in multiple stages, for example first the upper half of the back die, then the lower half, then all over again.The initial pressing was the most difficult, if the die didn’t leave a deep enough impression over most of its surface then I wouldn’t be able to place it in exactly the same way when the process would be repeated, resulting in a double impression that would totally ruin the binding.

Surface gilding allows covering a large surface with gold leaf. It is a demanding technique and although I had experimented a lot this is the first time I use it on a binding and in such a scale. I’m very pleased with the result – and I rarely feel so.
My guide for the technique was James Reid Cunningham’s article on surface gilding in Bonefolder Vol 6 No1 from the Book Arts Web. If you feel like having a go you can find the PDF at the bottom of this post. It is well written and comprehensive, thorough and accompanied with step-by-step pictures.

Firstly I masked the outline of the area I wish to gilt and applied the glaire, a chemical solution that will bond gold with leather when heated. Applying the glaire is tricky; one has to evenly spread a thin layer with as few brush strokes as possible. Less and the gold won’t adhere, successive or overlaping applications of glaire will show when then gold is applied and using anything but a brush as soft as a baby’s hair will result in poor results.

Applying the gold is stage 2. I used myPolishing Brass toolto do so. The gold is applied in pieces that are heated with the tool in multiple successions until the bonding element of the glaire is activated and the gold melts and blends in the leather. Too much heat and the gold will be ruined, too little and it won’t adhere uniformly leaving non-gilt patches here and there – a disaster!
Another thing that can go wrong is having sharp lines visible at the places where the gold leafs overlap. It has taken me a lot of effort and gold leaf -that thing is expensive mind you!- practicing but I believe the result is great; I challenge you to find the edges of the gold leafs on the finished binding, there are 6 meeting points on each.
The design was also double-gilt; it was gilt entirely and then all over again with a second layer of gold. I found that by doing so the gold has a much deeper color and shine and the meeting points of gold leafs become impossible to distinguish. Double the cost though…

Up close there are small parts and areas, especially on the second binding, with clusters of tiny holes/streaks showing the leather underneath. As can be seen in the pictures of Cunningham’s article that is a result of the leather’s grain and irregular surface. It can be avoided if someone “crushes” the grain using the polishing tool but then much of the leather’s allure is lost…

I was inspired to do the title on the spine in this particular way byLuigi Castiglioni, a very talented designer binder. Spend some time to see his marvelous bindings and “making of” pictures. The general idea is to surface gild a paper-thin strip of leather, cut out the letters and then paste them as onlays on the binding.

I also used my most treasured marble paper, one I’ve been saving for years. It is not visible in the photos but the marbler used a paint that imitates gold instead of some yellow hue, which shines and makes interesting plays with light upon handling.

Last but not least, I used a Valencia goatskin from Harmatan to bind the books. For all you people interested in trying bookbinding leather from them here’s a review of sorts. I want to underline that my experience has been overall great. There are two things however that I’d like to mention. First one has to do with leather thickness. I bought 5 leathers two of which where from the Valencia range they offer. Although they were listed as 0.9 thickness, upon arrival I was dissapointed to find out that one of the 2 was closer to 1.5. That is way thicker than 0.9. Not all binders know how (or want for that matter) to pare down an entire leather with a spokeshave and even if that’s not an issue I wouldn’t have bought the leather if it was listed as 1.5. If it was 1.0-1.2 I could make do but that is simply too much.The second and most important has to do with packaging. The leathers were practically wrapped around with a cardboard, and not a thick one at that. They were shipped to a relative of mine in the UK who then brought them to Greece, so maybe it’s their way of packaging leathers for inland shipping. Nonetheless it is fairly insufficient and any mishandling along the way could easily bent the package and crease all of the skins… Cardboard tubes or triangular boxes are very resilient and must certainly be inexpensive if bought in bulk, can’t really see why they didn’t use one.

These aside the leather was excellent in every way. Great texture, works like a charm, tools and pares very well. My only complain is that while the color is really vivid under natural or strong light it loses most of its intensity and appears almost dark under normal room light. Other than that it is a wonderful leather and a pleasure to work with.

Here’s an excellent video that was recently shared on the Book Art’s Web by Peter D. Verheyen, showing the process of binding a book in Chelsea Bindery. A number of reasons makes videos like this very rare so consider spending 10 minutes of your life to get acquainted with the craft of Bookbinding!

Two things to keep in mind as you watch the video; Firstly, what you see are highlights of the binding process. Various stages are not included, probably to allow a shorter duration and make it more comprehensible. Secondly, don’t be deceived by how smoothly everything is performed – this is the result of good craftsmanship. Every action, from cutting away a slice of leather to tooling the title with a single motion, requires a lot of dexterity and experience.